If your brand translates product descriptions into German, French, or Italian and you don’t speak those languages, there’s something you’ll struggle to check on your own: whether each sentence sounds truly natural.
So, how do you know if the translation is good?
The most reliable way is to review the process behind it. Who performs the translation, whether they know the sector, how the content is reviewed, what terminological criteria are followed, and what quality-control processes are applied before delivery: these are all indicators you can check even if you don’t know the target language.
In a translation for professional fashion and beauty, quality should not depend on the client’s ability to personally review each language.
Who is translating the content?
This is one of the first questions worth asking.
Fashion, beauty and e-commerce use very specific vocabulary: fabrics, cuts, finishes, sizes, textures, shades, cosmetic characteristics, or uses.
As a result, simply speaking two languages is not enough. The professional needs to understand the product they’re describing and how it is discussed in the target market.
Specialized translation for fashion, beauty, and e-commerce brands should be handled by qualified translators familiar with this type of content.
Does the translation undergo professional review?
If you don’t know the language, this point becomes all the more relevant.
The review process makes it possible to identify errors in meaning, omissions, terminological inconsistencies, or phrasing that need to be improved before publishing the content.
ISO 17100, a specific standard for translation services, establishes requirements regarding the resources, professionals, and processes necessary to provide a service that meets the specifications agreed with the client.
As such, a simple question before choosing your service provider can offer a great deal of information: what review process does the translation undergo before delivery?
How is brand terminology controlled?
This is an aspect companies can verify directly.
Imagine an e-commerce with hundreds of products. If a fabric, finish, category, or feature is referred to in various different ways throughout the catalog, the experience loses coherence.
Before translating, we recommend establishing the collection names, set terms, and titles that must be maintained, as well as any concepts that appear repeatedly.
A good fashion and beauty translation service should not treat each product sheet as a completely independent text.
Is the brand identity being respected?
The company can also define how it wants to communicate.
Is the tone friendly or more formal? Are there any expressions that are never used? Are there any trade names that should not be translated? Is there a specific way to present the collections?
The translator will decide how to convey those instructions naturally, but the brand can provide the criteria.
A translation agency specializing in fashion and beauty must understand both the product and how the brand wants to present it.
So, how can you check a translation you don’t understand?
You don’t need to speak all the languages of your e-commerce to ensure the project’s quality.
What you should be able to verify is that specialized professionals, review processes, terminological criteria, and quality controls are used before publishing.
The larger the catalog, the more languages the brand offers, or the more frequent the updates, the more important it is to have a clear process that consistently maintains quality.
Frequently asked questions
Check who is doing it, what experience they have in the sector, how it is reviewed, how the terminology is managed, and what quality controls are applied before delivery.
Not necessarily. Speaking a language doesn’t mean that someone has the training to professionally review a specialized translation.
Because materials, finishes, colors, categories, textures, and other features appear repeatedly throughout the catalog. Maintaining common criteria avoids inconsistencies between products.
If you need to translate product sheets, e-commerce sites, catalogs, packaging, or brand content, we at blarlo work with specialized professional translators, review processes, and terminological criteria designed to maintain consistency throughout the project. What’s more, we hold ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 certification, guaranteeing a structured, traceable process focused on quality control, independent review, and terminological consistency. Request your translation quote for fashion and beauty and tell us what you need translated.
